Are All Food Fibers Good For You

Here is an article which puts up a contradictory view on consuming fiber and its benefits. Mike is a nutrition and fitness expert and he presents the arguments against falling into the fiber trap. He says that even if a food is a source of fiber it may not be healthy. He goes on to argue that fiber may not be good for heart health also. He also encourages to use naturally occurring fiber in fruits and vegetables.

In our opinion there have been too many recent studies which prove how fiber is beneficial so we do not agree with some of his points. However some points are worth considering and we should always listen to other side of the argument also to gain more knowledge. Here is the article.

Ask anyone why they eat whole grains, and they’ll tell you it’s for the fiber.

One can’t help but be impressed by the bread and cereal companies. They’ve taken the cheapest, junkiest food and convinced us that it’s required for a healthy diet. We not only listen to their message, but we spread it around for them. The two responses above sound like a commercial, because that’s likely where we obtained the information. Don’t believe me?

A 1993 survey of 17,000 women found that 86 percent of those interviewed got nutritional information from magazines, a principal source being food advertisements. — Rothstein, Public Health and the Risk Factor

We don’t need bran to stay regular. That’s what we’ve been told by companies that sell bran! In fact, bran used to be a waste byproduct of the milling process. It was until tainted and extremely misleading research surfaced suggesting that North Americans were unhealthier than other cultures because of a lack of fiber in the diet that Kelloggs and other cereal giants jumped on the research and started making billions on the bran they used to throw in the garbage. Have you ever wondered why bread is offered for free before a meal?

It’s because grains are CHEAP!

“Hopefully these Neanderthals fill up on bread so they don’t notice that this 8-ounce sirloin is actually 6.5 ounces.”

They tell us we need high-fiber whole grains to prevent cancer and heart disease with in-your-face marketing, quoting research from experiments they’ve funded. They utilize their financial position to lobby the government and partner with disease prevention organizations that need the money. Meanwhile, there’s no association between fiber intake and cancer, as illustrated on numerous occasions. Most notably, in a 1999 study on 89,000 U.S. Nurses:

Our data do not support the existence of an important protective effect of dietary fiber against colorectal cancer or adenoma. — New England Journal of Medicine

It’s the same story with heart disease. The only evidence producing positive correlation attributed the lower risk to a “slight” decrease in total cholesterol. Many of you reading this may not be aware, but total cholesterol is a horrible predictor of heart disease. In fact, whole grains are extremely high in triglyceride raising carbohydrates, which increases our risk of heart disease far more than any indigestible fiber may lower it.

Unfortunately, North Americans have received the message loud and clear that sugar is bad, yet fail to recognize that the bread they’re putting zero-sugar jam on will raise their blood sugar faster than pure table sugar. As I outlined in a recent YouTube video, whole grains are classified as polysaccharides, which translates to “many sugars.”

The group eating twice as much fiber ended up with a 23 percent greater risk of heart attack and a 27 percent increased risk of dying.

Whether “more” fiber should be the goal is still up for debate. Proper transit time and elimination speed is important, but when it’s too quick we run the risk of decreased absorption. Our food needs adequate time to break down and ferment as it passes through to provide our body and gastrointestinal system with the nutrients and fuel we need to survive and thrive.

Regardless, if you’re seeking a high-fiber diet, you can achieve it without high-sugar, pro-inflammatory, nutrient-robbing, intestinal-scraping whole grains. Many are surprised to learn that if we forget about what’s harmful about eating whole grains, for a moment, and concentrate strictly on the direct comparison of fiber content in the available options, fruit and vegetables are the clear winner. For example:

Knowing this, one has to wonder why whole grains are touted for being high in fiber.

Like I said at the start, we believe what we here on TV, and I guess “high fiber” was the only benefit the marketing gurus could come up with. I mean, I doubt you’d buy a loaf of bread or box of cereal that was “extremely high in sugar and raises your risk of obesity, diabetes, dementia, and heart disease.”